The younger generation of Leicester City fans might not be too clued up on when the Foxes last called League One home.
The Midlands giants last plied their trade in the lower depths of the EFL during the 2008/09 season, and after collecting 96 points, the Foxes romped home to the third-tier title under the expert management of Nigel Pearson. They also had the 27-goal heroics of Matty Fryatt to thank for a short and sweet stay in League One.
Now, they're back at the lowly level, having suffered the ultimate humiliation of back-to-back relegations, and the fixtures have been released for the full season ahead, which kicks off on the 15th of August.
Casting an eye over the fixture schedule, it's hard not to get caught up in how much the mighty have fallen.
The 2016-17 campaign saw the Foxes reach the Champions League quarter finals, only to now be playing the likes of Bromley a decade on.
The expectation from Leicester supporters will be that Russell Martin can guide his new troops to a flawless start to the season, as they have been handed a favourable selection of opening contests.
Leicester fans should expect flawless start
Much like when Leeds United occupied the Championship, it's fair to say the Foxes will be on the TV a lot, as the big boy of League One.
The opening day has already handed the third-tier newbies a televised fixture, as Martin and Co. travel to Nottingham to face another League One novice in Notts County, who have just been promoted from League Two.
Leicester supporters making the short journey over to Meadow Lane will be anticipating a convincing win in the August sunshine, to get their third tier stay off to the best possible start, with the Magpies only winning once across the last five meetings between the near neighbours.
Our full fixture list confirmed for 26/27 🦊
— Leicester City (@LCFC) June 25, 2026
The next two fixtures will also be met with a sense that Leicester should blow away their opponents, with Burton Albion at home and another newly promoted side, Milton Keynes Dons, the next two match-ups, awaiting Martin's men.
The Brewers are perpetually stuck in a relegation battle when it comes to third tier action, so the hope will be that Leicester can pick up a resounding win on their home turf, while the Dons - who are ambitious in the transfer department - shouldn't be able to lay a glove on the Foxes, either, if they're full of confidence.
September is where the fixtures become trickier, as Plymouth Argyle, Oxford United, and Stockport County come in quick succession.
Yet, if they have the springboard of three wins on the trot on their side, they should feel more at ease.
Martin does have a slight track record for being slow out of the blocks, though...
Martin is prone to a slow start though...
Indeed, the Scotsman's inability to pump up his Southampton and Rangers troops proved to be his undoing in both dug-outs, with only one Premier League win collected towards the start of the 2024/25 campaign putting the final nail in the coffin of his topsy-turvy St. Mary's career.
He could only muster up one league victory in charge of the Glasgow giants, too, but the 40-year-old will be looking to go against his past failures at the King Power.
The expectation will be that Leicester will immediately hit the ground running to try and pull off another 96 point season.
Yet, not all hope should be lost if Martin does initially stumble, as the brand-new Foxes boss lost four Championship games in a row in September of the 23/24 season, which ended in Southampton ascending to the Premier League.
It remains to be seen if Martin will be given time to be a success, if he does start the season slowly, with a lot of grumbles already present at his underwhelming appointment.
Add us as a preferred source on Google